Front sight for high-velocity weapons



Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN W. HARKOM, OF MELBOURNE, QUEBEC, CANADA.

FRONT SIGHT FOR I-IIGH-VELOCITY \VEAPONS.

Application filed December 13, 1920. Serial No. 430,255.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN lV. HARKOM, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of the village of Melbourne, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Front Sights for High- Velocity lVeapons, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in sighting devices for high velocity small arms and ordnance, and the object of the invention is primarily to provide means for giving windage allowance without lateral adjustment at either the rear or fore-sight.

A further object is to provide means for making windage allowance without the use of any movable parts whatever.

A still further object is to provide a stronger and less delicate foresight than is now in general use.

At the present time windage allowance in small arms is made in either of two ways. The rear sight is laterally moveable in whole or in part in order to incline the line of sight laterally to the axis of the barrel. The other method is to hold off, that is to say, the rifle is aimed at a spot to one side of the target. The first method has the disadvantage that the windage adjustment is liable to be left on the rear sight with the result that when the wind drops or changes the rifle will shoot to ,one side of the target. To meet this objection, I put the means for allowance on the foresight in any form which will afford identification of its lateral dimensions at such points as will make the necessary allowances. The disadvantage of the second method is that it is purely guess work unless it should happen that the back ground of the target comprises a definite point exactly the right distance from the target at which aim may be taken.

According to the present invention a. foresight is provided which is widened and divided laterally on each side of its centre into sections which, by their dimensions, provide means for varying allowances for wind deflection of the projectile from the direct path to the object which it is desired to hit, that object being necessarily treated as stationary. The path of a high velocity, single projectile is practically without width and, therefore, extreme accuracy in making such allowances is required. The shooter may thusrepeatedly give the same allowance for windage with accuracy and without any guess work. Since the windage allowance is concentrated on the foresight no lateral movement of the rear sight is necessary and a fixed rear sight without lateral adjustment may be used. The form of the foresight must be such that the normal aiming portion will not be confused with the supplementary aiming portion.

In the drawings which illustrate the invention;

Fig. 1 is an enlarged elevation of the fore sight as seen from the front or rear.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same.

Figs. 3, f, 5, 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating the use of the sight.

It will be noted that, as shown in Figures l, 5, 6 and 7, the right half of the foresight is used, that is, for a wind from} the left. For a wind from the right, the left half of the foresight would be used. In using such weapons and projectiles as are employed according to this invention, the object is treated as stationary and, for this reason, the opposite half of the foresight is used in making allowances for deflection by wind to what would be used for aiming at a moving target.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates a foresight block provided with a thickened base 12 adapted to fit an under-cut groove in a rifle barrel to secure the sight in the usual manner. The top of the sight shows a pair of spaced blades 13 which may be reduced in thick ness as shown at 14:, Figure 2, or in any other suitable manner. A space 15 between the blades, the width of the blades themselves and the width of the shoulders 16 outside the blades representing the divisions or sections of the foresight are accurately proportioned in accordance with the length of sight radius, that is, the distance between the front and rear sights. lVindage allowance is usually calculated in minutes (a minute being one inch deviation from the normal line of sight for each one hundred yards of range, being for one thousand yards ten inches and for two hundred yards two inches) and the spaces between and outside the blades and the width of the blades themselves are therefore similarly dimensioned to allow identification in units of lateral measurement, each unit representing a deflection of one inch for each hundred yards of range from the dlrect path of the projectile to the target.

\Vhile the sight has been shown and described with only two blades or tips for the reason that these will be most practical, especially on military small arms, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to this number since tor range SlKlOlJlllg, where the sights will not suller rough usage, the blades may be narrower and closer together and the munber thereof increased.

The advantages oi the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the shooting of small arms but it may be briefly summed up as 'lollows:-A laterally mow able rear sight is not necessary and there is therefore no danger oi the rear sight being located out of normal by reason of windage allowance being left on it. The construction of the rear sight may thus be simplified without losing any of the accuracy of windage allowance which is desirable. The toresight is larger and therefore more rugged than the sights at present in use. The proper allowance for windage having been once detern'iined, the same allowance may be repeatedly effected with the greatest accuracy by bringing the target into the proper relation with the sight. The allowancev made for windage in an initial or test. shot may be accurately gaged, whereas with shooting oti the allowance is all guess work.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A foresight for weapons firing a single projectile, comprising a block over the center of which a normal sight is taken and upward rectangular projections from said block disposed equidistantly on opposite sides of the block center, the widths of said projections and of the space between them being predetermined according to the intended distance of the block from a rear sighting point to indicate a plurality of known angles of deflection from the normal sight line, so that by viewing an object over any selected part of any one 01'' said projections a known allowance for wind deflection may be made simnltanmnsly with the taking of direct aim.

2. A foresight for weapons firing a single projectile comprising a block over the center of which a normal sight is taken and upward rectangular projections from said block located eqnidistantly on opposite sides of the block center and inwardly oi the ends of the block, the ends and intermediate points of the projections serving to divide the width of the block into a plurality of sighting portions each subtending a predetermined angle at a rear sighting point whereby any one of: a plurality of windage allowances may be accurately and repeatedly made simultanemisly with the taking oi direct aim by viewing an object over a selected portion in the width of the block detm'mined by said projections.

3. A foresight for weapons firing a single projectile comprising a bl oelg to be disposed transversely ottli c ,b a1.'1el o the wcapon, the upper-edge o'l said"tiloclgbeing divided on opposite sides of it. center by upwardly extending rectangular projections, the end edges of which projections provide graduations dividing the block into sighting portions for use in allowing for different wind velocities.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN W. HARKOM. 

